Breaking up is hard to do

After nearly a year on display (and having promised my good lady wife that it would only dominate the corner of the living room for a month) the time is approaching to dismantle the UCS Falcon.

Now typically, when I take a modest sized set apart, I simply bundle the parts into sensible groups (liftarms, plates, pins etc), put them into ziplock bags and back in the box they go.

However, this is considerably bigger than anything I've ever built, and in order to be able to build it again at some point in the future (when I have more display space), I'm wondering what the best way to go about the deconstruction process is?

At present I'm considering trying to work backwards through the book so that I can at least put all the pieces into appropriately numbered bags, however, I can see that being pretty time consuming.

Anyone got any suggestions for taking apart big sets with an eye on ease of reconstruction?

Cheers!

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Comments

Make a coffee table so you can keep it permanently displayed and not have to ever worry about breaking it down.

I think unbuilding it backwards is your best bet; start at the end, and bag (and number the bags) as you go. That way, when you rebuild it again, sections are already in order so you're not sifting through 7,541 pieces. It's either going to be ease of deconstruction or ease of reconstruction. Most Technic sets need to be unbuilt rather than simply ripped apart due to the generally over-engineered aspect that locks them together so well. Plus, you'll kind of get the experience of building it again, only in reverse. Might as well get the most bang for your $799.99 buck.

Sell your wife on the coffee table. When my wife was asking my when I planned on eventually building the MilF and where I was going to put it, I simply told her I had some ideas. Her response was "No coffee table in the living room." Fortunately, I'm planning on putting the coffee table in the basement, so she can't be mad (?).

'Future you' will thank 'present you' if you spend the time and reverse engineer it back into numbered bags that match the instructions... it's a big job but this is what I've been doing for a while and it makes the rebuilding experience almost as nice as the original build.

Someone actually did that over on youtube... it was kinda cool but I can't imagine throwing that much money off the roof! :P if I recall he sold it and bought a new one because he didn't want to rebuild it without numbered bags. His name slips my mind now though...

Someone actually did that over on youtube... it was kinda cool but I can't imagine throwing that much money off the roof! :P if I recall he sold it and bought a new one because he didn't want to rebuild it without numbered bags. His name slips my mind now though...

Someone actually did that over on youtube... it was kinda cool but I can't imagine throwing that much money off the roof! :P if I recall he sold it and bought a new one because he didn't want to rebuild it without numbered bags. His name slips my mind now though...

@Baby_YodaNo children, and our house is busting at the seams. We've been wanting to move for about 5 years, but work / family issues have put a stop to that up until now. We'd hope to be in a bigger place in the next 18 months or so, though, so I'm angling for a 'me' room where I can have a permanent Lego presence.

@Baby_YodaNo children, and our house is busting at the seams. We've been wanting to move for about 5 years, but work / family issues have put a stop to that up until now. We'd hope to be in a bigger place in the next 18 months or so, though, so I'm angling for a 'me' room where I can have a permanent Lego presence.

That's only a temporary solution. You soon grow to fit the space available. I've had a Lego room since the kids all left, but it's full now so I need a second one.

I've faced the same issue with some larger sets that have been broken down too.

If I want to build them again, I try and just group like pieces together - so whether you're looking for a massive beam, or a 1x1 stud, then you know which tub/bag/whatever to look in. I think that dismantling backwards is going to be such an unenjoyable process it negates the benefits.

@Baby_YodaNo children, and our house is busting at the seams. We've been wanting to move for about 5 years, but work / family issues have put a stop to that up until now. We'd hope to be in a bigger place in the next 18 months or so, though, so I'm angling for a 'me' room where I can have a permanent Lego presence.

That's only a temporary solution. You soon grow to fit the space available. I've had a Lego room since the kids all left, but it's full now so I need a second one.

True, but having some space to display Lego is better than having no space. A dedicated room, even a small one, gives you a fair bit of leeway with rotating which sets are on display.

I think that dismantling backwards is going to be such an unenjoyable process it negates the benefits.

You know, give it a go with a small set. I've found it quite theraputic. My son enjoys doing this with his sets too.You could be right where much larger sets are concerned... especially where the MilF.

There is something gratifying when you have a set all neatly packed away though, perhaps it's my tendency toward the obsessive or overly fastidious. It's definitely really nice to come back to a set that has been put away like that.I can appreciate it's not for everyone, but I only plan to do it with sets I'm planning to keep together rather than ones that will eventually get mixed into my moc building collection.

I recently had to take and re-store my Monster Hunters after putting them in the museum for the summer Lego Expo. I dismantled into smaller 'sections' rather than completely dismantle, but not sure how practical that is with the Milf and whether you'd get them small enough to go back into it's box (which is still to hand i assume?)

If you were to dismantle, having now thought about this in more detail, Im thinking I might:

Dismantle into shoe box size boxes, with cardboard dividers separating the parts. So, rather than them be mixed in numbered bags, parts are already separated into numbered boxes and parts/colour sections, so ease of rebuilding is there. Also, loo rolls make ready made separators. Please note calculator and other items depict dividers lol

PS, this is also a top tip for storing cables etc, inside loo rolls, in a box.

if you enjoyed the build, it makes sense to just go backwards with it all. Then the next time you want the set out, you can build it all over again....for many that is most the fun...I think....isnt it?

Well I've made a start. A third of the way through reverse-engineering it into ziploc bags and only four pieces missing so far which, condidering the greebling, is better than I expected.I'm hoping that I just missed the missing bits out first time, and that I'll find them in the leftovers bag when I open the box again.Fingers crossed.